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How to build push notifications the right way

If you have decided to create an app then it is important that you have a mobile strategy in place. A strong mobile strategy is not just about building the app but much beyond.

A great mobile strategy focuses equally on company goals as well as on delivering the best customer experience which enables customers to interact with your brand in different exciting ways and stay loyal and connected. A strong mobile strategy will surely accelerate company growth in the long run.

For companies that fall under the ‘b’ category the best way to retain customers is by leveraging push notifications. If you wish to find out more on how to utilize push notifications to increase loyal customers and retain them.

Push notifications are alerts that allow you to instantly get notified either when someone has replied to your message/comment or when your friends have posted something new and many other similar instances. Notifications can show you trending product launches too.

Here are a few Innovative methods of building a safe push notification strategy and tips for using them appropriately to increase customer loyalty:

1. Request for Permissions from Users:

Mobile users do not like to share their personal data and hence do not prefer to give all that info to the Apps that they download. But the Android OS has a permission system where users approve a set of permission requests. But with the launch of the new Android M that is yet to come up, it will bring a new data sharing system where the users will have to share lesser or minimum information about themselves with the app.

As a User you would definitely think that your personal information is not safe and is at risk of access on the net. But it is the duty of the Companies creating the apps to inform users about the data privacy concerns. The app making companies must be able to convey to the users the value of Push notifications. They need to seek permission from the users regarding updates too.

2. Build a Push notification Strategy:

There must be a proper Push notification strategy in place which will increase customer retention and loyalty for your app.

Figure out what kinds of notifications you want to send and what is the purpose that each of these notifications will serve. How they will help you achieve your long term goals while retaining your customer base. The push triggers / notifications must be well planned and designed to create the desired outcome. For example, when a user downloads an app, and it allows the user to register for a contest, make sure you can include a trigger in your push notification strategy that notifies the customer the deadlines for registration as well as the last day of the contest itself. Your Push notification strategy needs to be agile and ongoing.

3. Push Notification Types:

Nowadays the common trend is to send notifications that can be heard on a smartphone and those that can be read in plain text.

But with the improvement in technology you can use media and images too within your text message. You can utilize interactive push notifications which allow the users to take actions to the alerts immediately or at or at a later point of time, this in turn tends to increase customer retention and engagement.

Use a good strategy to send a notification informing the users about actions performed by their friends in which most users would be interested and this in turn would help to increase follow-up actions such as comment/like. The motive behind this would be to engage the customers and make it a more interesting experience for them. It is possible for users to respond to invitations in real-time.

4. Push notification Timing and Frequency:

Multiple push notifications at any odd time such as late hours can be annoying to many and can reverse the effect of a good customer experience.

It is important to take care and plan as to how many notifications must be sent to the customers, which notifications are of high importance and how many times they must be sent. The push alerts can be divided into two types one which alerts users about friends’ actions and moves and the other that alerts users regarding the app updates such as introduction of new features etc.

5. How much and what Content should be included

Push notifications need to be crisp and to the point, hence it is mandatory to keep the content precise and short in length and should include a very clear call to action. You can design your content in such a way that it sounds interesting and catchy. Do not forget to personalize the Push alert it is extremely important to do so. Personalization is to draw the attention of the users and make them feel the importance of that message.

Companies should send alerts that include user name and details regarding the latest actions the users may have taken while using the app. The best example is while users are busy shopping online the app can track the information. The company can then offer that merchandise of choice to the user when it is on Sale.

6. Segmentation

It is important to divide your customers based on various factors such as age groups, gender, location, interests etc. for carrying out segmentation and personalization.

To take segmentation to the next level, consider users online behaviour. What you wish to accomplish by setting up a push alert will be determined by how users interact with your app and how many times they use it.

There are two broad types of users a) active and b) dormant users. Make sure to pass on a different push message to both types of users. This is because it will help you to draw more attention of dormant users rather than the active ones that don’t really need a push to be engaged. Drawing the attention of dormant users back to the app that they may have downloaded long back is an important step. Just send them push notifications offering special deals that could rejuvenate their enthusiasm.

7. Prioritizing

Too many chefs spoil the soup, similarly too many notifications bombarding the customer can frustrate them. Hence it is necessary to carefully prioritize the notifications without missing on the important ones. A smart segmentation process always helps to identify such prioritization issues and this helps to address such issues well in advance.

Segregate all notifications that are meant for broadcast from those that are more specific to user preferences. If it is tough then create a seasonal version of the overall strategy to simplify things.

8. Creativity

The main intent of a push notification is to grab the attention of the user. Once you have grabbed the attention it is worthwhile to retain that attention by sending unique, entertaining, innovative and interesting messages that are of value to the user.

Be creative by writing messages that are not only relevant, but more importantly capable of conveying the point that it was intended to convey.

9. A/B Testing

There is no single size that fits all; this saying applies in the mobile arena too. Constantly testing out based on different parameters helps to achieve all the desired goals. The results obtained from the test helps to improvise the push notification content and strategy and you should make sure it happens on a regular and continuous basis.

Testing definitely helps to understand customer actions, preferences and choices well in advance of any event for which you may be planning to send push notifications.

Project Manager at Promatics, Raman is passionate about coding and everything that relates to it. He has rich experience in Web, Desktop, and Mobile Application Development. Filled with energy of coding and development, he has made his way from a trainee to Project Manager.
Even being at the helm of Manager, he is approachable. He will never let you go without the perfect solution when you approach him with a query. When he is not coding he keeps busy himself by learning new trends in Mobile Application. In leisure time he loves to watch movies and spend time with his family.

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About Promatics

Promatics is an ISO 9001:2008 certified offshore web and mobile application development company with a strong team of 100+ highly skilled IT experts delighting SMEs across USA, Europe and APAC. Our services and solutions help clients to achieve tangible business value and remain competitive in today’s evolving marketplaces.